Seeds of the Kingdom 14th October 2022 Daily Devotional || By Ellel Ministries International. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Read Seeds of the Kingdom 14th October 2022 Daily Devotional for Friday
The Father’s Embrace
by Lindsey Hanekom
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1, NIV
Seeds of the Kingdom 14th October 2022 MESSAGE
Have you ever been greeted by someone whose face lights up when they see you and who flings their arms open wide as you approach them … so there’s absolutely no doubt in your mind that that person is really pleased to see you? There’s that lovely, warm feeling deep inside … and a knowing that you’re loved (even if you can only hold on to it for that moment). It could be a friend or a family member or someone at Church. Some people just know how to make us feel welcomed and loved.
I belong to an Anglican church and every week, as part of the liturgy, we say, ‘You embraced us as your children and welcomed us to sit and eat with You’. What a privilege! What a joy – to be embraced by our Heavenly Father as His precious children, to be welcomed to sit and eat with Him who loves us with a love that’s so great it’s beyond our capacity to understand.
It’s not difficult to dwell on these words and appreciate their meaning while taking part in a communion service at Church, but the challenge is when we’re not there, and busy and caught up in the everyday issues of life. It can be much harder then to remember and truly value our Heavenly Father’s loving embrace that’s always right there for us. As children rushing into the arms of a loving parent, He longs for us to run to Him to receive and really know His love – every single day.
I’ve learnt that setting aside time to just be with Him each day isn’t just something that’s nice to do or that we should do … it’s what we need to do, so that we can – not just know about His love in our heads – but really know it in our hearts. It’s what comes through giving time to talking with Him, hearing His voice speaking to us and actively receiving His love. Then our lives can be lived out of that place of inner strength and security that comes from really knowing deep down that we truly are His beloved children.
It’s not a one-way blessing either – it blesses His heart when we spend time with Him. If we rejected a close friend or family member’s embrace or responded with indifference or rushed past them – too busy to stop, they would be hurt. How much more does it pain the heart of our Father God when we ignore Him who made us for that intimate relationship with Himself? So let’s set our wills today to laying aside time to just being with Him, resting in His embrace, hearing His voice and receiving His love deep in our hearts.
Seeds of the Kingdom 14th October 2022 PRAYER
Father God, thank You for the truth that I did not choose You, but You chose me to be Your child. Through the death of Your Son, Jesus, on the cross You adopted me into Your family. I belong to You. I’m so sorry for the times when I’ve ignored You, and made other things a priority over spending time with You. Please help me to set aside time each day to just resting in Your presence, receiving Your love and learning what it truly means to be Your child. Amen.
Seeds of the Kingdom 14th October 2022 written by Julie Smith; is married to Roger, and they have two grown up children. Having received deep healing in her own life, primarily through ministry at Ellel Grange and then attending the Modular School at Glyndley Manor, she went on to join the Glyndley associate ministry team. She now works part-time for Ellel Ministries and is an associate teacher with the ministry. She is passionate to see others restored and released into the abundant life Jesus won for us all.
